An Inch as Long as a Mile
by Eclissy
Summary: From time to time, a nagging voice tells Tomix that he's selfish.


**Hello there! It's been a while and this was written a while too. I have an account on Tumblr and I got an anon asking for a short Heromix drabble that I took 8 whole months to finish. It also took me forever to decide on the title to give this but there it is! I tried my best with this and I do hope you enjoy! It features a nondescript Hero character so do imagine your hero character in their place if you like~**

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The Hero had taken a nap once, too tired to close the door to their sleeping quarters. Peering through the crack, Tomix's legs moved on their own and he found himself standing over them.

The haphazard positioning of their limbs was ridiculous enough to make Tomix smile but uncomfortable enough to make his neck ache. It was obvious that the Hero had flung themselves on top of the covers and into their dreams but he wondered if they would slip into the nightmares again. A draft had sneaked in and Tomix preferred that they would never have to feel the cold.

He'd do his best to keep it that way for as long as he could.

The Hero's arm was dangling off the side for the bed and when he reached for it, Tomix's hand went right through their wrist like he should have known it would.

The soulweaver frowned, clenching and unclenching his fist around…well, in the Hero's wrist but he might as well have not been there at all.

It shouldn't have made his chest tighten like it did because he knew it would happen. Tomix only forgot when the Hero began to smile a little in their sleep.

In some terrible way, Tomix hated that smile. Especially how it could make his mistakes disappear for a moment and how when that instance passed, the weights of that mistake would fall back and knock him down again.

Tomix wondered if he could affect the Hero as much but he couldn't even brush their bangs out of their face.

If he stayed any longer, his mind would stray to darker places. Though a nagging thought told him that it was selfish, he grabbed the soulwoven sheets, tucked them around the Hero, and left. Tomix made sure to shut the door firmly behind him, promising himself not to intrude on the Hero like that again.

But it wouldn't be the last time the soulweaver would watch the Hero sleep.

The path to the deepvoid was far from comfortable. Being forced to fend off the void creatures and having the void drive failing almost immediately after, Tomix's focus was becoming frayed; unable to divide itself between bracing himself for the turbulence and watching for flying debris.

A crate slipped out of its bindings, flying straight for Tomix's head. It took the screeching winds of the void to make a crate like that arc through the air and whatever it would eventually hit would know what it was like for a spider to be crushed under a thumb.

And it did hit. The crunching noise was so loud that Tomix could hear it through the chaos.

He turned his head just in time to see that the Hero had his back.

The crate slammed into their chest, shoving them back into Tomix. They slip across the deck, stopping abruptly when the back of Tomix's head hits the main mast.

A black curtain fell over his vision and by the time it rose, the wind had gone silent. Only the whimpers and groans of the crew meekly pierced the eerie silence. Tomix's pained grunts joined theirs but the Hero lay still on their back, eyes wide open but seeing nothing.

Panicked, Tomix pushed himself to their side.

When he had reminded the Hero of the crew meeting, the Hero was in the middle of putting on their armor. They came down wearing a part of it and had decided to catch up to Tomix right after instead of taking the time to put the rest on.

Nothing but thin cloth protected their chest during the fighting but it was a rare occurrence of carelessness on Tomix's part that had stopped their heart.

"Oh fuck, OH FUCK!"

Without hesitation, Tomix went to feel for a pulse and his hands went right through the hero like he should have known they would.

"Help! I need help here!" His cry melded with the others around him. There weren't any hands available save for his own and too many precious seconds had been wasted.

The soulwoven gloves he had made were too bulky to carry around on his person all the time. The ones that could were half finished and stashed away under Tomix's unused mattress.

He was left beside the Hero with nothing but the building pile of mistakes that would lead to his friend; the one good thing in his life dying, in a dark place far from the sun.

It didn't suit them; the dark void, the blank stare that reminded Tomix too much of the boy sleeping back home, or the cold that began to infect their body while his eyes burned. He could do nothing about it but uselessly beat against the Hero's chest.

"I can't go back but you can't stay here. Please, you can't." The soulweaver managed, his voice barely able to form words for deaf ears.

"Tomix, stop." A voice urged him and a firm, solid grip tried to pull him away from the Hero. Tomix didn't care who it was, refusing to budge despite the futility. For that, he was ruthlessly thrust on to his side.

Though badly bruised from the previous crash, Tomix was back up and ready to crack open someone's skull but that someone was pressing the heels of their palms against the Hero's chest.

Riadne pushed against the Hero's sternum, counting up to thirty before leaning down to tilt their head back, pinch their nose, and breathe into them. The process repeated after two breaths.

Gritting his teeth, Tomix squinted through his blurred vision and watched. He was breathing so hard that he was ready to pass out again but it didn't matter. He waited until life flickered in the Hero's eyes and waited until Riadne shuffled back before he approached the Hero.

Seeing that weak smile, Tomix forgot himself and let his head fall against the Hero's chest. The pulse of their heart was weak but it was there. He could feel the vibrations and the hands coming to rest on his head.

A nagging thought was telling him that it was selfish to keep the Hero pinned like that and another berated him for being useless again. But he'd forget it for now. For this instance, he'd forget it and carry the weight after.

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 **Like I said, it's really short but I hoped you liked it! Review if you like cause kind words and constructive criticism is always endlessly appreciated!**


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